Abduction of Sita
The Abduction of Sita is one of the most dramatic and pivotal events in the Ramayana. During their exile in the forest, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana settled for a time in Panchavati, a serene and beautiful region near the Godavari River. It was during this peaceful period that their lives were thrown into turmoil by the arrival of Shurpanakha, the demoness sister of Ravana, the king of Lanka.
Shurpanakha, attracted by Rama’s handsome appearance, approached him with romantic intentions. Rama, devoted to Sita, gently rejected her and advised her to approach Lakshmana instead. Lakshmana, teasing her, also turned her away. Humiliated and enraged, Shurpanakha attacked Sita in jealousy. To protect Sita, Lakshmana retaliated by cutting off Shurpanakha’s ears and nose.
Shamed and furious, Shurpanakha fled to her brothers, Khara and Dushana, who then led a demon army to attack Rama. However, Rama single-handedly defeated and killed them all. Shurpanakha, now desperate, went to her more powerful brother Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka, and described Sita’s divine beauty, hoping to provoke him to avenge her humiliation.
Ravana was enchanted by the description and resolved to make Sita his own. Knowing that Rama was too powerful to confront directly, he devised a cunning plan. He sought help from Maricha, a demon who could take any form. Maricha reluctantly agreed and transformed himself into a golden deer, dazzling and magical in appearance. The golden deer pranced near their cottage, catching Sita’s eye.
Sita, charmed by the deer, asked Rama to capture it for her. Rama, suspecting some trickery but wishing to please her, left to pursue the deer. After a long chase, he struck the deer down with an arrow. As Maricha died, he cried out in Rama’s voice, “Lakshmana! Sita!” creating panic back at the hut.
Hearing the cry, Sita begged Lakshmana to go help Rama. Lakshmana, knowing Rama was invincible, hesitated. But unable to bear Sita’s accusations of indifference, he drew a protective circle, the Lakshmana Rekha, around the hut and instructed Sita not to step beyond it.
No sooner had Lakshmana left than Ravana appeared in the guise of a wandering ascetic (a sannyasi), asking for alms. Sita, bound by duty to serve guests, came out of the cottage. Ravana coaxed her to step beyond the Lakshmana Rekha, and the moment she did, he seized her and revealed his true form. Sita cried out for Rama and struggled, but Ravana swiftly rose into the sky with her in his flying chariot, the Pushpaka Vimana.
As they flew southward, Sita dropped her ornaments, hoping they might serve as clues for Rama. During the flight, they were spotted by Jatayu, the aged but brave vulture king and a friend of King Dasharatha. Jatayu tried to stop Ravana and fought valiantly but was mortally wounded. Ravana continued his journey and took Sita to Ashok Vatika, a garden in Lanka, where he kept her captive and tried to win her love with threats and temptations. But Sita remained resolute and faithful to Rama.
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